


Mismatched Socks

by towerfortified (castlestormed)



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: Banter, Conversations, F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon, Socks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 22:25:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12443070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castlestormed/pseuds/towerfortified
Summary: Yuki listens with amusement as Machi explains this new method of dealing with her anxieties.





	Mismatched Socks

 Yuki blinked several times at what his girlfriend pulled out of the gaudily embroidered paper bag on her lap.

"Why are they all... different?" he asked.

"They're not, really." She laid the socks out by pair - or so he assumed, since not a single one was exactly the same. "I made sure the lengths matched, at least. This pair has the same pattern; they're just different colors. That one over there has animals."

"But one is cats and the other is dogs."

"Yeah but the style is the same," Machi said seriously. "See, they're both cute right? It'd be weird if one was cute and the other was... like... realistic or something."

"I see...." A smile twitched the corner of his mouth. "So this is your solution to the impulsive chalk breaking, violent room rearrangements and general disregard for symmetry?"

Machi jabbed him with her elbow for that and said, "It's my solution to stupid _perfectionism_. When I feel the panic coming, all I have to do is remember my socks. It's like an inside joke, with myself." A small smile lit up her face. She held up a pair of knee-length black socks to him. "See, I could even be wearing _these_ and nobody would suspect they were different."

"Until you'd have to take off your shoes for whatever reason," Yuki observed. The tip of one sock was capped in bright yellow, while the other was an unmistakeable red.

"That won't happen in university." Machi frowned as she added the pair to the rest on the table.

Yuki hummed to himself and made a big show of considering the situation - folding arms over chest, averting a scruitinizing stare. "Well, what if someone really needed your shoes for something? Don't tell me you'd refuse someone in need."

"People have their own shoes. Why ask for mine?" Machi asked, perplexed.

"Well, what if you were trapped somewhere," Yuki said seriously. "And a monster is chasing after you. And the only way of appeasing him is to give him your shoes."

"And after he eats my shoes, he sees my mismatched pair of socks and dies because he's a perfectionist who can't handle the asymmetry?" Machi deadpans.

Yuki's shoulders shake uncontrollably as he laughs. It takes a while before he can properly speak again. "Your brother is leagues away but he still manages to sneak into our conversations."

"No, that weirdness was all you," Machi said with something like resignation.

"You helped!"

"Just trying to be supportive."

He gave an exaggerated gasp, turning to her. "Are you saying you want me to be more like that guy?"

Machi was poker faced when she returned his gaze. "No, at least you're self aware. You laugh at yourself. He's usually at least 50% serious. Besides," her gaze slid to the side, shy, "it's nice when you laugh."

Yuki blinked. Then smiled. Then leaned into her line of vision, disturbing some of her rows of socks, though she probably wouldn't have minded that. She avoided his face for a while, her cheeks pinking lightly over her efforts, before huffing and pushing in a disgruntled frown. "What."

"Nothing. I like when you compliment me."

"Oh? Happy to help boost your ego."

He chuckled, and had an idea at the end of it. "Hey, can I steal your socks thing? It sounds like fun."

Her eyebrows arched, disappearing into her bangs. "You go to more formal events than I do. Are you sure it's okay?"

"That's exactly why I need to do it."

She snorted. "Entering your rebellious stage?"

"Better late than never!"

And finally - _finally_ \- a laugh. "Well, if you put it that way... I guess we're not done shopping, huh?"

"No, we are not." He leaned against her. "You're the expert sock mismatcher, miss. Where do we start?"

"I demand payment first."

"Well." He smiled, turning his face to hers. "If you insist."


End file.
